SCOTTISH choir the Strathendrick Singers will sing songs of war and peace at Ilkley's All Saints Church as part of a trip to Yorkshire.

The free concert, with donations welcome on the door, will take place at the Ilkley church, Church Street, on Saturday May 21.

Strathendrick Singers are an amateur choir of about fifty singers, drawing their membership from the villages in the valley of the River Endrick in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

Their concerts are usually held in the Killearn Kirk, to the north of Glasgow, but after a visit to Scotland two years ago by KVU Singers, a local Sutton-in-Craven based choir, a return visit has been arranged to Yorkshire.

Known mainly for their classical repertoire, Strathendrick Singers has performed major works by Handel, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Fauré and many others. Recent works tackled with critical success include Bach’s Cantata No.4; Morten Lauriden’s Lux Eterna; and Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light.

The concert in Ilkley will feature Ken Johnston's I Landed with Seven Men. This is a cantata made up of five well-known Scottish songs, which recount the story of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745. The songs are interspersed with a historical narration.

Ken Johnston is based in East Lothian, where he works as a composer and arranger, writing many pieces for both youth and adult choirs. Recent works include writing for the National Youth Choir of Scotland, the Edinburgh Quartet, BBC Proms in the Park and the Aberdeen Bach Choir.

Representing the theme of Peace will be items from Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man – a Mass for Peace.

Dedicated to victims of the Kosovo crisis, this is an anti-war piece, based on the Catholic Mass, which Jenkins combines with other sources, principally the Fifteenth Century folk song "L'homme armé", the Islamic Call to Prayer, the Mahabharata and the Bible.

An award-winning Welsh composer, Sir Karl Jenkins OBE was a jazz-rock musician, notably in Soft Machine, before becoming known for his classical works including ‘Adiemus’ and ‘The Peacemakers’. In 2008 The Armed Man was listed as No. 1 in Classic FM's "Top 10 by living composers"

The concert begins at 8pm.

The following day, the Strathendrick Singers and KVU Singers will join forces for an afternoon concert at Christ Church, Skipton. Tickets are £5 (under 16 free) available from KVU choir members, on the door or telephone (01515) 637425 or (01515) 653917. The Skipton concert begins at 2.30pm.